Ten years ago today, my husband Bob died of cancer. We call it his heaven birthday. When our son, Alexander, turned 10, he wanted to begin his mountain climbing adventures, to be just like his dad. Turning 10 was a big deal. This week, Alexander (now 13) sent an email to family and friends who knew his dad, inviting them to “sign” his birthday card with “a favorite memory, something you especially miss about him, or just say hi.” Here is my letter.

In moments of joyful transition, it is easy to see blessings. But what about when we’re caught in muck? If we practiced gratefulness every day would it make a difference?...I’m three days into my challenge of 1000 blessings.

What if we could see the script of our child’s life before he was born and God gave us five minutes to erase or make changes? Would we take out the bad stuff? If you change one thing, it changes everything after that. ...We don’t always agree with the script as it’s playing out. And many, many times, we ask for the ability to revise it. If given the chance, would you revise your own life script? Would the new version be as interesting?

Karen’s life experience is intertwined with her roles as a wife, mom, stepmom, writer, publisher, photographer, traveler, and woman of faith. All these elements tend to make their way into her blog posts.

“Writers have to write. It’s something deep inside us that pushes and pushes until we let it out. It’s part of the air we breathe, this need to make sense of the world around us and to somehow find the right words to express and influence the way we each feel and interact and love and live.”—Writing is Risky Business